This invention relates to a system and method for controlling the flow or release of a fluid from a container or containers thereof, such as a capsule or reservoir disposed within tissue or a body cavity of a living being. In particular, the invention relates to a system and method which operates under controlled radiation generated outside the body of a living being and directed to the skin and tissue thereof to generate either a local, controlled miniature explosion to effect such fluid release action. The fluid may comprise a drug or other material useful in the treatment and/or diagnosis of a human malady, wherein it is desired to effect the controlled release of such fluid without directly connecting wires or one or more conduits for a fluid to an actuation means by extending same to the tissue of the body.
In my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 614,038 I disclose the drug units which may be targeted to a specific antigen or antigens located within a living body using antibodies. At least one of the antibodies forms part of each drug unit and is targeted to dispose and retain the drug unit at a specific location, such as within or adjacent to a tumor or malignancy. The cells of the tumor contain antigens to which the antibodies of the drug units become attached. When so located, the drug units may be used (1) to detect the location and extent of the antigenic material or diseased cells and (2) to effect treatment of the disease when small quantities of nuclide material, such as Boron 10, are activated with externally applied radiation, such as neutrons, passed through the body to the site or sites or such drug units.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved composition and method for employing drugs and medication in the treatment of maladies of living beings.
Another object is to provide a new and improved composition and method for delivering drugs to a selected site or sites in a living being.
Another object is to provide a composition and method for delivering one or more selected drugs to one or more diseased sites in a living being and releasing such drug or drugs from retaining means or containers at such site or sites.
Another object is to provide a composition and method for targeting encapsulated drugs to select diseased tissue, such as a tumor or tumors, within a living being and controllably releasing such drugs when so targeted.
Another object is to provide an improved composition and method for delivering precise quantities of medication or drug units to select diseased tissue, such as tumors and organs within a living being and controllably effecting the release of such medication thereat for controlled treatment purposes.
Another object is to provide new and improved compositions of matter for use in the controlled treatment of diseased tissue and the like existing in living beings.
Another object is to provide new compositions of matter which may be specifically employed to deliver and disposed medication within or adjacent to diseased tissue, such as malignancies and the like existing within living beings.
Another object is to provide an improved method for delivering small quantities of highly potent chemicals to diseased tissue, such as tumors and the like, for destroying such tissue.
Another object is to provide an improved method for delivering select amounts of chemicals useful in altering tissue cells at one or more select sites in a living being.
Another object is to provide a system and method for delivering diagnostic material, such as a dye or radioactive tracer to a disease site, such as a tumor, or a select body organ to permit visual or instrument inspection to be made, wherein said diagnostic material is released from encapsulation at the site and does therefore not affect tissue in other locations of the body.
Another object is to provide a system and method for delivering drugs including organic and inorganic medication and biological elements and tracer material to a selected site such as a concentration of a specific antigenic material within a living body using microcapusles made of biodegradeable material which degrades under the action of body fluid after a time sufficient to permit such microcapsules to become targeted to specific antigenic material or cells existing within a living body.
Another object is to provide improvements in drug units capable of delivering quantities of a biological or chemical drug to one or more locations within a living being, such as a disease or cancerous site, to the exclusion of other portions of the body and without releasing such drug in the bloodstream prior to their delivery to the selected location or site.
Another object is to provide improvements in drug units which may be targeted to selected locations or cells within a living being, such as cancer cells, and may be selectively and controllably released at such location or locations.
Another object is to provide an improved method for delivering a drug or medication to a select location within a living being, which method may be human-controlled as to the release of such drug or medication.
Another object is to provide improvements in the structures of drug units which may be employed to a selectively dispense chemical or biological agents within a living being.
Another object is to provide a method for selectively dispensing one or more drugs or chemcials at selected locations or against selected tissue or disease cells within a living being.
Another object is to provide a method for treating a disease, such as malignancy, by a combination of radiation and a drug which is selectively dispensed within a living being.
Another object is to provide a method of treating a malignancy or other disease by means of radiation and one or more chemical or biological agents released at the site of such malignancy by controlled radiation.
Another object is to provide a method of controllably dispensing a liquid material at a selected site within a living being, without the need to flow such liquid through a hollow needle or capillary.
Another object is to provide a method for remotely controlling the release of a drug from a reservoir or capsule located within a living being.
Another object is to provide a method for remotely controlling with radiation the release of a drug from a reservoir or reservoirs located within a living being.
Another object is to provide a method for explosively releasing a quantity of a drug or medication within a living being by destroying at least a portion of its container disposed within tissue of such living being.
Another object is to provide a method of detecting a location of a disease or disease site within a living being and controllably releasing a drug at such site immediately after such detection is made.
Another object is to provide improvements in the structures and operation of body implants for releasing drugs or the like within a living being.